New Patrick Scott DJ Mix Podcast

My first DJ mix in years, and a radical departure from the sound most people know me for. There will be another in a couple of weeks so I encourage anyone to subscribe.

New Pedal Build: BYOC Muff Clone

Yes that wonderfully aggressive fuzz box with the really obnoxious name. Can't believe I'd never owned one of these before. Now that the BYOC "Large Beaver" is complete, my other fuzz boxes only collect dust. I chose the "Ram's Head" era design, and had considered socketing the clipping diodes, but decided the included mods were enough.

Building? I'm glad this wasn't my first build, but an ambitious first-timer could do it.

The sound? Most people associate the Muff sound with Smashing Pumpkins and Pink Floyd and this pedal delivers.... definitely best through a somewhat stressed tube amp. Otherwise it can just buzz like a swarm of angry bees. Used with a Les Paul/neck pickup/tone control set to zero, classic haunting Fripp-like tones are easy to acheive.

Speaker Cab Almost Ready

Shop class was never my forte in school, but I certainly love building things now. Since buying a home last year, I cobbled together a small collection of power tools (mainly from pawn shops). Along with obligatory home repairs, I have created a snazzy ergonomic monitor stand, refinished a vintage '50s kidney shaped coffee table, and my latest project: a speaker cabinet for my guitar amp. I had looked into purchasing a cabinet, but never found "exactly" what I was looking for. On top of that, I had a couple of sheets of birch ply just sitting in my garage. I opted for the simplest design possible, not only because of my skill level, but not having premium tools such as a table saw, router, etc. Next try may be a slant cabinet. The speaker will be front loaded not only for easy switching, but to better match the aesthetic of the THD Univalve. The whole front panel will be bolt on so not only will the speaker be interchangeable, but I can choose between 10" and 12". I have an Eminence "Wizard" 12" on order, but have a used Celestion "Tube 10" waiting in the wings as well. I currently use it without a cab, and it is pathologically twangy. Don't get me wrong. It's great for specialty applications, but there's no bottom end. Eminence's  tone chart calls the bottom end of the Wizard "aggressive". Hopefully that will still apply in an open back config.

My First Pedal Build: GGG GRO

This is my first attempt at building a guitar pedal. I chose the General Guitar Gadgets clone of the Dan Armstrong "Green Ringer". I was looking for an "Octave Up" pedal, and the Green Ringer seemed best because it was not coupled with distortion. I also liked the simplicity, being that this was a first project.

Construction went smoothly, and the pedal worked as soon as it was completed. I decided against painting the pedal and opted for a funky brushed look using a Dremel. Imho the Green ringer sounds best with a Les Paul/Neck Pickup/tone control all the way down... Then massive amounts of diode distortion next in the signal path. That gives maximum harmonic instability.